Robert Monroe Heathcote, the former bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, has passed away at the age of 58. Heathcote lost his life in a motorcycle accident on July 24.
His son, Chris Heathcote, confirmed the news via Facebook, offering, “I cannot put words together other than the fact that this is a loss I will hardly recover (if ever), and the fact that he was a hard working father who raised five children, including me.” He continued, “Each and every moment I’ve shared with my dad will forever remain as a treat. Thank you dad for everything you did for me and my family. I will miss not only your keen sense of humor, but you and me doing a lot of things we loved doing together including talking about or listening to music, traveling, going to the beach, going to Mexican restaurants, attending Dodger games, etc.”
Heathcote played the bass for Suicidal Tendencies in the late ‘80s, performing on their 1988 album How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today. He went on to contribute to the band’s next record Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit… Déjà Vu for a total of three songs before being replaced by Robert Trujillo in 1989. Heathcote originally served as the replacement for Louiche Mayorga, the band’s previous bassist.
The family has since set up a GoFundMe to help with immediate expenses, as of press time, the donations have reached $9,660.